6 SEO Myths 2017 Is Debunking – and You Should Do the Same

In the last few years, we can definitely say Google has increased the number of updates they’re doing. Some of the changes are minor and some are major, such as the Penguin update in September 2016.

It has become a necessity to write from time to time an article which outlines SEO myths we should stop believing.

This is especially important since it’s almost the middle of 2017 and a lot of guidelines are not valid anymore. In this article, I will point 6 of the most common myths about SEO we should leave behind us.

1. Submitting Your Site to Google

This is probably one of the most overheard SEO myths: that it’s a must to submit your site to Google.

On the page where you can enter your URL, Google even says it doesn’t guarantee the fact your site will appear in their index. So stop worrying about submitting your site. The crawlers will find it regardless.

2. Myth: Secure Sites Don’t Impact SEO

URLs which start with https instead of http have an SSL certificate. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. The technology used ensures the fact that the user’s connection to your site is secure. Moreover, sensitive data is encrypted and so hackers can’t access them.

In August 2014, Google made the first announcement and said https is included in their ranking algorithms.

In September 2016, Google took an even bigger step. The company said Chrome would start flagging all sites which are not using https as unsafe. This measure started at the beginning of this year.

3. Meta Descriptions and Rankings

Meta descriptions appear in search engine results and they act as an explanation for the content which is on that particular page.

Back in 2009, Google announced they do not impact search rankings. They are, however, important for attracting people’s interest and making them click on your link.

A well-written meta description will separate you from the crowd.

4. Keyword Over-Optimization

A few years ago, it was so important to use keywords when optimizing a page. The more, the better.

Now, it’s quite the contrary. Why?

Because Google uses RankBrain, which is a machine-learning algorithm. Thanks to artificial intelligence, RankBrain is able to find keywords which are related to one another.

That being said, forget about adding the same keyword word-for-word in your content. Make your pages human-friendly by using related terms. Google will be able to understand the main topic on your page.

5. More Pages, More SEO

There was a time when people were creating content like crazy. A lot of people thought it was the right thing to do, even though this meant forgetting about the user.

Having more pages on your site is not enough today. Instead, having a few pages with quality content is far more important.

If the content isn’t good, then you won’t attract any traffic, links and your ranking won’t improve. The Panda algorithm, which was introduced in 2011, is able to detect which pages have poor content. If you want to avoid a Google penalty, focus on creating valuable content.

6. Images Optimization

You’re most likely using images in your articles, but how many of them have you optimized so far? If you haven’t done this so far, then you should know it influences on-page SEO.

By adding the alternative text for an image giving it a name, you will become even more visible in search results. Search engines can’t identify images in your pages, so you need to guide them by optimizing with the right keywords.

SEO Myths Busted

I hope you learned something from this article and you can now make more informed decisions about your site. These SEO myths need to go away in 2017, so share this article with someone who needs to see them.